The Ostracion meleagris, also known as the Spotted Boxfish, lives in the waters of the Indo-Pacific region and usually inhabits clear lagoons and seaward reefs.2 It has brilliant coloration as a result of sexual dimorphism and can be up to six inches in length.1

Behaviour

Behaviour:

The Ostracion meleagris uses ostraciiform swimming, a method that is named after this species.1 It is a type of tetraodontiform fish, which means that it "hovers...using [its] highly modified fins" as a way of movement.1 It swims by moving its flexible caudal fin, which allows propulsion through the water.1 The caudal fin swings side to side, and this fish is usually slow at swimming because of its lack of flexibility.1 The fish also releases a mucus onto its body to prevent predators from attacking it.3 Females also have a long snout that allows them to "blow jets of water into the sediment" to find small invertebrates to eat, an adaptation that has developed after millions of years.4 Spotted Boxfish live in small haremic groups with one male and several females and also forage for food in these groups.6

Juvenilles and females usually have brown, green, or white spots, while large males have orange bands or spots on the sides of their body.2 This species of fish usually has caudal fin rays, or a tail fin, and is sexually dimorphic.2

General description:

The scales of the Ostracion meleagris is what makes it unique.3 On a conventional scaled fish, the scales are overlapping.3 However, in the Ostracion meleagris, the scales form "hexagonal bony plates that are fused together to form a rigid body case," which makes them have a bell shaped and inflexible body.3 Their bony carapace encloses them so that only the eyes, jaws, and fins are mobile, and they also have extensive vertebral fusion.1

Habitat

Habitat:

The Ostracion meleagris lives in the clear lagoons and the seaward reefs of the Indo-Pacific waters. It lives at a depth of about thirty meters.2

Morphology

Morphology:

The Ostracion meleagris is sexually dimorphic, meaning that there is a difference between members of opposite sexes in the same species. In the case of fish, the female is usually larger than the male. Males are also more colorful than females and have a "vibrant blue body and a black swatch covering the body."7 The entire body of a male boxfish is also covered with white and black dots.7 Females are only black and speckled with white dots.7

Physical description

Size:

4-6 inches (10-15 cm.)2

Reproduction and life history

Reproduction:

Males usually have a "harem" that encompasses many females.6 The males initiate courtship by "circling and nudging...the females."6 The female and the male then swim side by side with their tails touching and heads slightly apart.6 At this point, they release their gametes by making a low-pitched spawning sound.6 The male then swims off to find another female to mate with.6 Males also use this spawning sound in aggressive contexts, when many males actively compete to mate with certain females.8 This sound can definitely be heard underwater by the human ear and quietly above ground.8

Trophic strategy

Trophic strategy:

Ostracion meleagris are omnivores that forage in small groups.1 Their diet consists of didemnid tunicates, polychaetes, sponges, mollusks, copepods, and algae.2

Uses

Uses:

Humans use the Ostracion meleagris for commercial purposes, and many are kept in aquariums for the general public to see. They must be kept in at least a 50 gallon tank.7